Prince Okinaga no Mate (息長真手王)

Prince Okinaga no Mate (Okinaga no Mate no Okimi; his date of birth and death were unknown) was a Japanese Imperial family during the fifth to sixth century. His princesses were Ominoiratsume (麻績郎女) and Hirohime (広姫). Ominoiratsume married the Emperor Keitai as a princess and bore a princess, Imperial Princess Sasage Sasage no Hime Miko. Hirohime became the Empress of the Emperor Bidatsu and bore Prince Oshisaka no Hikohito no Oe (Oshisaka no Hikohito no Oenomiko), Princess Sakanobori (Sakanobori no Hime Miko), and Princess Uji no Shitsukai.

Prince Okinaga no Mate did not have many achievements, other than marriage of his two princesses to the Emperors. Additionally, there were others documents which indicated Prince Okinaga no Mate to be the son of Okinaga no Sane no Miko who was a younger brother of Prince Ohodo.

Although Hirohime (Prince Hiro) became the Empress of the Emperor Bidatsu on the New Year Day in 575, she met with her demise during November of the same year. In the very next year, on the New Year Day, Nukatabe no Himemiko (the Imperial Princess Nukatabe, later Empress Suiko) became the Empress of the Emperor Bidatsu. Her goryo (an Imperial mausoleum) of Hirohime exists in Sakata-gun, Omi Province (Maibara City, Shiga Prefecture). Her goryo came to known as the "Okinaga Goryo" and is currently managed by The Imperial Household Agency.

One of the daughters of Prince Okinaga no Mate married 'the Emperor Keitai,' and the other daughter married 'the Emperor Bidatsu' is assumed to be Hirohime. However, according to the "A Record of Ancient Matter" and "Chronicles of Japan," 'Keitai' was born in 450 and on the other hand, 'Bidatsu' was born in 538. In conclusion, it is hard to believe that two of his daughters married two of the Emperors. Maybe the oral literature from this historical period was confused; or it is very possible that the editors of the "A Record of Ancient Matter" and "Chronicles of Japan" intentionally forged the contents of the genealogical charts of the Emperors.

[Original Japanese]